…there won’t be a next time. Baylor knocked Iowa out of the Sweet Sixteen 81-66 last night and granddaughter Bethany’s college basketball career ended not with a bang but an elbow. To her nose, knocking her out of the game with four minutes left to play. There was plenty of blood but no permanent damage and so life goes on. As will this year’s WNBA draft, on April 16.

Since it would be immodest for me to brag on our granddaughter Bethany, I’ll step aside and let the opposing coach do it. From the Associated Press:

Doolittle scored 22 points, Ally Disterhoft had 15 and third-seeded Iowa beat 11th-seeded Miami 88-70 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, earning its first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1996.

“That team is full of great players and she just had a great performance,” Miami’s Adrienne Motley said of Doolittle. “She just had a great performance. She played like a Division I basketball player trying to get to the Sweet 16.”

We are right in the middle of a superfun family long weekend in Toronto, had lunch yesterday at what turned out to be a terrific pub called The Queen and Beaver. They have a room for watching sports like soccer, and this is what Wyatt and I found in the rest room.

Then there are all the other really bizarre, often retrograde requirements that some teams have to regulate not only the cheerleaders’ professional appearances and performances but their private lives as well.

Here’s a selection of rules from the Buffalo Jills’ handbook, as published on Deadspin. It includes an entire section titled “General hygiene and lady body maintenance,” quoted here with typos intact:

“Do not be overly opinionated about anything.”

“When menstruating, use a product that right for your menstrual flow. A tampon too big can irritate and develop fungus. A product left in too long can cause bacteria or fungus build up. Products can be changed at least every 4 hours. Except when sleeping, they can be left in for the night.”

…which is to say that the Iowa women brushed past Ohio State 77 to 73 this afternoon on their way to tomorrow’s Big Ten tournament final against Nebraska. ESPN2 will be broadcasting it at 1:00 p.m. EST, daylight saving time. Thus those of you who don’t subscribe to the Big Ten Network will finally be able to see our granddaughter Bethany in fabulous action instead of having to rely on still pictures and my possibly biased reporting.

…because I’m not. Bethany Doolittle goes up for two more of her 26 points as Iowa beat Illinois 81 to 62 this afternoon in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. Purdue is next, at 2:30 p.m. EST Friday on the BTN channel. Be there.

We’re heading off to watch the Iowa women’s basketball team clobber Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday. Hence slow blogging (at least by me) for a few days. Here is a picture of Iowa clobbering Indiana last month, no pictures of the upcoming Michigan clobbering being yet available. Granddaughter Bethany is shown at right, apparently trying to tie her teammate’s shoe.

“There was a time when a black man couldn’t kiss a white woman on TV. That day has passed,” wrote Robert Farago on his TruthAboutGuns blog about the NFL's decision to ban the ad from Georgia gunmaker Daniel Defense. “Yet a firearms company can’t advertise its products on network TV. It’s high time that ballistic barrier was broken.”

Farago’s twisted sense of history was hardly alone in pro-gun circles. “What a bunch of hypocrites! The 2nd Amendment is ultimately what allows the NFL to even exist,” wrote TreeManTwo on the website of Guns & Ammo magazine, which broke the story last Friday that the NFL rejected the ad for violating its advertising policy. “It does have to do with us being able to keep and protect our rights to do things like play football!”

Bethany Doolittle wins the tip as Iowa goes on to beat USC 78-65 last night in the Cancun Challenge. Tonight the Hawkeyes are scheduled to crush Boston College. (Update: Game just over. Iowa 75, Boston College 68.)

Iowa beat Dayton 97-93 in overtime today. Here’s Bethany about to rack up two of the 22 points that made her the Hawkeyes’ top scorer. Did I mention that Dayton was ranked 16th in the nation until very recently?

Maureen Dowd’s column today deals with what is apparently a big story in the wonderful world of sports: whether a football team in Washington should stop calling itself the Redskins. As a fan of many years’ standing — I attended a game once, and remember Vice President Nixon coming onto the field at half-time — I have strong feelings about the matter. This country was built by old white guys like me, and it’s time we caught a break. How about the Washington Ofays?

“Urologists across the country have noticed a trend in men over the last few years who are getting their vasectomies at the time of March Madness,” Schwartz said. “You have a perfect excuse to watch basketball all weekend.”

Many urology centers report a dramatic increase in the number of vasectomies they perform this time of year, saying business increases by as much as 50 percent.

It’s that time of year again, folks. Here’s granddaughter Bethany Doolittle helping Iowa roll over Quincy University in a preseason game. She’s the starting forward for the Hawkeyes, as an 18-year-old sophomore. I’ll be keeping you updated throughout the season, whether you like it or not. It’s my party, and I’ll dote if I want to. (Older members of the class will recognize the pop music reference in that last sentence. Others can go here.)